Dear Evan Hansen (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
'Dear Evan Hansen' (directed by Stephen Chbosky) is based on the Tony Award-winning 2016 coming-of-age musical about a lonely high schooler who inadvertently gets himself embroiled with a family grieving the loss of their son. Evan (Ben Platt), who starts senior year with his arm in a cast, only family friend Jared (Nik Dodani) to talk to, & a big time crush on Zoe (Kaitlin Dever). Evan, who suffers from severe anxiety, writes letters to himself signed by other people as part of an exercise from his therapist. When Evan's outcast classmate Connor Murphy (Colton Ryan, good in a small, but pivotal role) - and Zoe's brother - dies by suicide, his folks find one of Evan's letters-to-himself in their son's possession and, believe that it is Connor's final note. Their mistaken belief about Connor & Evan's perceived closeness is furthered by the fact that Connor was the only person to sign Evan's cast.
Evan wants to tell the Murphys the truth, but Mrs. Murphy (Amy Adams) is SO relieved to know that Connor died with a secret best friend, that Evan can't bear to clear-up the mistake. Realizing that Connor's family is desperate for any nugget of comforting news, Evan lies about the 'friendship', and then reluctantly continues the ruse {fabricated emails btwn. the two}. He even gaslights his single mother, Heidi (Julianne Moore); who tries to juggle her son's specific needs with working extra shifts at the hospital. Student body president Alanna (Amandla Stenberg) is touched by Evan's befriending of troubled Connor & gets him to make a heartfelt speech in front of the school. It goes viral and, he becomes a media sensation. But the situation grows more manipulative & unjustifiable as Evan & Zoe grow close romantically & Alanna founds a charity project in Connor's name. Much drama & singing ensues as Evan's lie & life spins out of control.
This movie benefits from its ensemble cast, a few stirring songs & Ben Platt's awesome voice, but it also highlights the differences btwn. stage & screen. i.e., a musical's 'book' {as they call it} is not necessarily meant to be a film screenplay. It is undeniable that Ben Platt can sing {his voice soars, but also rivets in quieter inflections}, but on the big screen, some 5 yrs. after he originated the role, Platt feels a touch too old and, some of the bigger emotions in the story which work well on-stage come across as a bit too large onscreen; the transition from stage to screen simply isn't seamless. I mildly enjoyed this film and, think the critical reception is has received is too harsh. That said, it is somewhat disappointing, because director Stephen Chbosky is a specialist at Young Adult material. His The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) was excellent and, 'Dear Evan Hansen' was ripe for his directorial treatment.
This film is far from perfect, but that is not to say that there aren't a plentitude of aspects that work well, like the ensemble. Platt, Julianne Moore, Amy Adams, Danny Pino, Kaitlyn Dever, Colton Ryan & Amandla Stenberg all lend verisimilitude to their parts & an emotional range to their songs. I bought Platt as a fidgety, socially anxious, depressed teen. And I found his quirks & certain mannerisms to be relatively authentic; not jarring. Julianne Moore is excellent as Evan's single mom, Heidi; working extra nursing shifts so that Evan can go to college. Her song "So Big/So Small" is a tender highlight near the end of the proceedings. Amandla Stenberg is sweetly effective & contributes to the new original song, "The Anonymous Ones".
Amy Adams & Kaitlyn Dever provide different perspectives on grief, first from losing Connor & then from feeling betrayed by Evan's deception. I empathize greatly with Evan (and his illness), while also being turned-off by his self-serving lie that spins out of control. How that deception is handled in the film is a misstep, because it renders an otherwise compassionate, sweet-natured Evan as nearly beyond redemption -- it rides such a fine line. You know, this film plays like a well-acted drama with song songs sprinkled in. I attribute the cast to my liking this movie as much as I do. There's not a false dramatic note {no pun intended} to be found anywhere. And they also make the 135 min. run time go down smoother. As for the songs, Justin Paul & Benj Pasek {La La Land, The Greatest Showman} offer notable work, here; though, there are a few too many ballads {however much I love them}.
I think this movie musical doesn't work as well as most is because it is a trickier proposition to blend solemn material with bursts of singing-&-dancing. This may not have been a problem onstage when, as an audience member, you're swept up by differing components of live performing -- the illusion of make-believe is easier to swallow, there. The white lie to help alleviate others' suffering is inherently intriguing and, the sudden burst of a song DOES allow characters to wear their thoughts & emotions on their sleeves. The problem is that the song format lends to a sporadic surfacey look at things like social anxiety, teen angst & depression. All that said, 'DEH' delivers some effective moments and, it is far from the train wreck that some of the critics say it is. It gave me some chills {"You Will Be Found"} & I enjoyed watching it, even if I'm also somewhat ambivalent about it in the end.
Evan wants to tell the Murphys the truth, but Mrs. Murphy (Amy Adams) is SO relieved to know that Connor died with a secret best friend, that Evan can't bear to clear-up the mistake. Realizing that Connor's family is desperate for any nugget of comforting news, Evan lies about the 'friendship', and then reluctantly continues the ruse {fabricated emails btwn. the two}. He even gaslights his single mother, Heidi (Julianne Moore); who tries to juggle her son's specific needs with working extra shifts at the hospital. Student body president Alanna (Amandla Stenberg) is touched by Evan's befriending of troubled Connor & gets him to make a heartfelt speech in front of the school. It goes viral and, he becomes a media sensation. But the situation grows more manipulative & unjustifiable as Evan & Zoe grow close romantically & Alanna founds a charity project in Connor's name. Much drama & singing ensues as Evan's lie & life spins out of control.
This movie benefits from its ensemble cast, a few stirring songs & Ben Platt's awesome voice, but it also highlights the differences btwn. stage & screen. i.e., a musical's 'book' {as they call it} is not necessarily meant to be a film screenplay. It is undeniable that Ben Platt can sing {his voice soars, but also rivets in quieter inflections}, but on the big screen, some 5 yrs. after he originated the role, Platt feels a touch too old and, some of the bigger emotions in the story which work well on-stage come across as a bit too large onscreen; the transition from stage to screen simply isn't seamless. I mildly enjoyed this film and, think the critical reception is has received is too harsh. That said, it is somewhat disappointing, because director Stephen Chbosky is a specialist at Young Adult material. His The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) was excellent and, 'Dear Evan Hansen' was ripe for his directorial treatment.
This film is far from perfect, but that is not to say that there aren't a plentitude of aspects that work well, like the ensemble. Platt, Julianne Moore, Amy Adams, Danny Pino, Kaitlyn Dever, Colton Ryan & Amandla Stenberg all lend verisimilitude to their parts & an emotional range to their songs. I bought Platt as a fidgety, socially anxious, depressed teen. And I found his quirks & certain mannerisms to be relatively authentic; not jarring. Julianne Moore is excellent as Evan's single mom, Heidi; working extra nursing shifts so that Evan can go to college. Her song "So Big/So Small" is a tender highlight near the end of the proceedings. Amandla Stenberg is sweetly effective & contributes to the new original song, "The Anonymous Ones".
Amy Adams & Kaitlyn Dever provide different perspectives on grief, first from losing Connor & then from feeling betrayed by Evan's deception. I empathize greatly with Evan (and his illness), while also being turned-off by his self-serving lie that spins out of control. How that deception is handled in the film is a misstep, because it renders an otherwise compassionate, sweet-natured Evan as nearly beyond redemption -- it rides such a fine line. You know, this film plays like a well-acted drama with song songs sprinkled in. I attribute the cast to my liking this movie as much as I do. There's not a false dramatic note {no pun intended} to be found anywhere. And they also make the 135 min. run time go down smoother. As for the songs, Justin Paul & Benj Pasek {La La Land, The Greatest Showman} offer notable work, here; though, there are a few too many ballads {however much I love them}.
I think this movie musical doesn't work as well as most is because it is a trickier proposition to blend solemn material with bursts of singing-&-dancing. This may not have been a problem onstage when, as an audience member, you're swept up by differing components of live performing -- the illusion of make-believe is easier to swallow, there. The white lie to help alleviate others' suffering is inherently intriguing and, the sudden burst of a song DOES allow characters to wear their thoughts & emotions on their sleeves. The problem is that the song format lends to a sporadic surfacey look at things like social anxiety, teen angst & depression. All that said, 'DEH' delivers some effective moments and, it is far from the train wreck that some of the critics say it is. It gave me some chills {"You Will Be Found"} & I enjoyed watching it, even if I'm also somewhat ambivalent about it in the end.